If you know of a new restaurant coming to the Dayton area, email natalie.jones@coxinc.com with details.
RESTAURANTS OPENED
RachelBakes & Co opens in Centerville
RachelBakes & Co has officially opened its doors at its new location in Centerville’s Cross Pointe Shopping Center.
After almost five years in Beavercreek, bakery owner Rachel Owens previously told Dayton.com she decided to move to the shopping center for more space. When she opened her business on North Fairfield Road, Owens recalled the space was already too small.
Credit: Contributed Photo
Credit: Contributed Photo
RachelBakes & Co has moved to the building that previously housed Fortis College, 101 E. Alex Bell Road. The bakery takes up about one-fifth of the building.
Owens previously said she wasn’t necessarily looking to leave Beavercreek, but the Centerville location became the best option.
Little Fish Brewing Company opens in downtown Dayton’s Webster Station Historic District
A new tap room located in a former railroad warehouse in downtown Dayton’s Webster Station Historic District is now open.
“Folks, thank you so much for your excitement and your patience during this long haul of setting up our restaurant, bar, and brewery,” Little Fish Brewing Company said in a post on its Facebook page. “It’s been quite the project for us, and we are so happy to have a few soft openings under our belt, to work with all the new Little Fish employee family, and to get to see all you people who came out to the events.”
Credit: Tom Gilliam
Credit: Tom Gilliam
Little Fish Brewing Co. is known for its barrel-aged sour beers, but they also have IPAs, smoked beers, stouts and lagers.
Jimmy Stockwell, co-founder of Little Fish Brewing Co., previously told Dayton.com he hopes the tap room, featuring high ceilings, exposed brick and design elements from area artists, will become a community hub in the Dayton area.
French-inspired crêpe shop opens in Troy
Oh Crêpe, located at 79 Foss Way in Troy, is a business J.D. Winteregg wanted to start for roughly 20 years after studying and teaching in France.
When the coronavirus pandemic hit in 2020, he took extra time to plan out his idea with his friend and now business partner, Seth Middleton.
Credit: Natalie Jones
Credit: Natalie Jones
Oh Crêpe, which opened in August, is a French-inspired crêpe shop featuring sweet crêpes, pastries, coffee and gelato. The business partners with other local businesses including Purebred Coffee and Farmhouse Bakery to elevate customer experience.
Winteregg is beginning to expand his menu by adding savory crêpes.
Boba tea shop opens in Troy with bubble waffles, more variety
A Boba tea shop known for doing pop-ups in downtown Troy has opened a brick-and-mortar location at 217 SE Public Square, offering customers a larger variety of drinks and bubble waffles with ice cream.
OH! Boba is owned by Jess Justice of Germantown, QQ Qiang of Centerville and Ting Shi of Miamisburg.
Credit: Submitted Photo
Credit: Submitted Photo
“We fell in love with Troy last autumn when we visited the town and it is wonderful that we got our place in Troy a year later,” Justice said.
OH! Boba’s menu features over 80 items including fruit teas, fruit smoothies, milk smoothies, milk teas, fresh brewed teas and sparkling drinks. Justice explained the brick-and-mortar shop gave them the opportunity to expand their menu and add new flavors in each category including seasonal flavors like Pumpkin Chai. As they continue to serve bubble waffles, customers now have the option to add ice cream to their treat.
Lebanon Brewing Company opens in former Lebanon firehouse
Lebanon Brewing Company, Warren County’s newest brewery and eatery, opened in the city’s former firehouse at 20 W. Silver St.
Nathan Ridgley said Lebanon Brewing Company is the first brewery in Lebanon in about 15 years since another local brewery, Mighty Casey’s, closed.
“The old fire station is a perfect place for a brewery,” he said. “It’s off of Broadway and it’s in the DORA (Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area).”
The brewery features televisions and a 40-foot full bar with 11 beers on tap with the promise of more in the future. It also offers sandwiches and other appetizers made from scratch from the Ladder 41 Tapping Kitchen which is a separate business operated by Mark Knight.
Moeller Brew Barn opens in Monroe
Moeller Brew Barn, located at 6550 Hamilton Lebanon Road in Monroe, has officially opened its doors.
The taproom and beer garden are located in the former Rivertown Brewery & Barrel House that closed in February due to the COVID-19 pandemic, staffing issues and rising food costs.
“It’s been a fast-paced summer to put our final touches on the renovation of the taproom and brewery,” said Nick Moeller, founder of Moeller Brew Barn. “It’s a thrill to build a team with a common goal — to invite people in, make them feel at home, and enjoy a pint.”
The 25,875-square-foot brewing facility allows Moeller Brew Barn, founded in 2015, to expand the brand’s taproom and distribution presence to the Cincinnati region.
The Monroe location marks the fourth taproom for Moeller Brew Barn.
RESTAURANTS COMING SOON
Pizza shop to open near UD
A pizza shop with Sicilian-style pies, pizza by the slice and more is expected to open in mid-to-late October on Brown Street.
The Wizard of Za will be at 1200 Brown Street Suite 150 in the former space of Zombie Dogz.
Credit: Submitted Photo
Credit: Submitted Photo
“Our pizza is made from focaccia crust,” said Dylan Jones, operating partner of The Wizard of Za. “It’s very pillowy and spongy, but the way we cook it in the pan allows the crust on the bottom to get very crisp and caramelized.”
Jones said they will have a variety of pies including the Rainbow Pie, a pizza with stripes of vodka sauce, house red sauce and house pesto sauce on top of the cheese, and the Wicked Cheese Pie, a pizza with vodka sauce, thick slices of provolone and house red sauce smothered with garlic oil and a pecorino and parmesan cheese mix.
Bibibop Asian Grill plans to open Washington Twp. restaurant next year
Bibibop Asian Grill plans to open a third location in the Dayton area within the Township Square Shopping Center in Washington Twp.
“This store will likely be opening in 2023,” said Ryan Sanecki, senior digital marketing manager at Bibibop Asian Grill. “We are looking forward to sharing more information when we have it.”
Bibibop will be housed in the space previously occupied by a Five Guys restaurant. The burger chain moved its Washington Twp. location to 1004 Miamisburg-Centerville Road in 2019 due to occupancy costs.
New sports bar to open in former location of Fountain on Main in Springfield
A new family-friendly sports bar is opening in the former space of The Fountain on Main in Springfield.
Sandy Hamilton and her husband, Mark, who previously owned The Ole Brick Tavern on Mechanicsburg Road in Springfield for nearly eight years, are aiming to open The Bullpen Sports Bar on Oct. 1.
Credit: Bill Lackey
Credit: Bill Lackey
The Bullpen Sports Bar will serve “anything but chicken,” Hamilton said.
She explained other sports bars in the area focus on chicken and chicken wings, so they wanted to be different. The Bullpen’s menu will focus on beef and pork by serving burgers, pulled pork, burnt ends, specialty sandwiches and more. Side items will include hand-cut fries, steakhouse green beans and smoked gouda mac and cheese. Hamilton said they will have their own smoker on site as well.
Chef specializing in birria tacos opening brick-and-mortar in Miamisburg
Darion Lewis, owner of More Than A Apron LLC, is moving his business from the former location of The Vault Event Center to a brick-and-mortar space in Miamisburg.
More Than A Apron LLC will soon open its doors in the former space of Rye Toast, located at 1015 S. Main Street. Rye Toast closed in early June due to the rise in the cost of goods, according to a post on the diner’s Facebook page.
Lewis told Dayton.com he is planning to open on a Taco Tuesday in October, ideally Oct. 18. His last day at the former event center, located at 23 E. Central Avenue, is Sept. 30.
The brick-and-mortar space, which Lewis said he is renting to own, is giving him the opportunity to work year-round.
Fairborn council OKs new El Toro restaurant
A Mexican restaurant with multiple locations in the Dayton area is seeking to open a Fairborn location.
Fairborn City Council approved plans for an El Toro restaurant at 1388 E. Dayton Yellow Springs Road, east of Interstate 675 at the intersection with Trebein Road.
The El Toro proposal calls for an 8,290-square-foot building with more than 1,400 square feet of outdoor patio space on about 1.7 acres, city records show.
Construction is expected to start once all approvals are in place, according to the city.
Popular drive-in J&E Rootbeer Stand being brought back to life
A popular drive-in restaurant that has been closed this year will reopen next month, according to the new owners.
Brooke Solomito, 24, and her stepsister, Cortney Vitori, 35, have purchased the J&E Rootbeer Stand building and property at 6301 Germantown Road and hope to have it open by the middle of October.
J&E Rootbeer Stand, which has been open for more than 35 years, was a seasonal business, but the new owners plan to be open year- round. They said they’re not changing the menu. Customers can expect the same tasting footlong hotdogs, french fries, root beer and possibly some new items.
“We want to keep the tradition going,” Vitori said. “Keep providing what the customers know and love.”
RESTAURANTS CLOSING
Chicka Wing closes Huber Heights location
Chicka Wing, a fast-casual chicken restaurant that opened its doors in Huber Heights at the end of May, has closed.
“First & foremost, we want to thank everyone so much for supporting us as a small local business,” a Sept. 18 post on Chicka Wing’s Facebook page said. “We have tried our hardest to work with the consistent increase of, well, everything & it’s an uphill battle we can’t seem to win. Unfortunately, we’ve decided to close our doors.”
Credit: Sharon Wilmore
Credit: Sharon Wilmore
Adam Price, the founder of Chicka Wing, told Dayton.com the restaurant was closed Sept. 17 and 18 due to electrical issues with the hood and ventilation system. He said after he couldn’t find someone to fix the issues, he decided to call it quits.
“We were already in negotiation with the landlord - letting him know that we were closing down by the end of the month anyway,” Price said.
The leftover food was donated to the Springfield Soup Kitchen, he said.
Springfield Hardee’s location closes
The Springfield Hardee’s at 2242 S. Limestone St. is closed as the company boarded up its doors and windows and covered its sign.
Hardee’s corporate office said it does not currently operate any company-owned restaurants in Springfield. The South Limestone Street location is not listed among the restaurant chain’s more than 30 Ohio locations.
The building’s owner, RJR Investments LLC, bought the property in 2005. The building has not transferred ownership as of Friday, according to Clark County Auditor’s office property records.
Yellow Springs Subway closes
Carl and Kim Lea, the owners of Bentino’s Pizza in Yellow Springs, said they have purchased the property at 107 Xenia Avenue and are looking for a new next door tenant.
The husband-and-wife team told Dayton.com that one day before signing the papers the owner of the Subway, previously located next door in the same building, notified them they were planning to leave.
As of Monday, there is a sign posted on the door that says Subway is closed permanently and the Leas confirmed they are searching for a new tenant. Dayton.com has reached out to Subway regarding the reason for closure but has not heard back.
Credit: Natalie Jones
Credit: Natalie Jones
“I just want to give another small business an opportunity to flourish in this town.” Kim said. “There’s plenty of business to go around that’s for sure.”
Carl added, “We’re looking for a business that compliments what we do.”
The Leas said they have several interviews scheduled for potential tenants specializing in food, but a decision has not been made.
Closing of Middletown brewery at end of month ‘leaves an empty, gut punch feeling’
The long-term impact of COVID-19 and rising prices of products claimed the life of another Butler County business.
Rolling Mill Brewery Co., a family-owned business that opened five years ago, is closing at the end of the month, the owners posted on Facebook.
“We simply can no longer operate in this scenario,” the Facebook post read. “This is especially frustrating knowing the potential of what we have created if we had the right capital and investment.”
The last day of business will be Sept. 30.
NEW OWNERSHIP
George’s Family Restaurant has new set of owners
A family restaurant dating back to 1994 has a new set of owners.
Steve Socrates and his girlfriend, Samantha McFarland, are the new owners of George’s Family Restaurant, located at 5216 N. Dixie Drive in Dayton.
Socrates told Dayton.com he is from the Dayton area and was looking for a reason to return after living in North Carolina.
Credit: Submitted Photo
Credit: Submitted Photo
“My brother went on the broker listings and found a listing for an established family dining restaurant and sent it to me and I inquired about it and that’s how this all started,” Socrates said.
The new owners confirmed that nothing is changing at the restaurant overall. However, Socrates said he would like to offer a better online experience with mobile ordering.
Owner of popular Springboro café ready to begin next chapter
One of Springboro’s most popular bar/restaurants is Heather’s Café. Since 2009, owner Heather Sukola has been working long hours each day to operate the eatery.
Now, Sukola is ready to turn the page to begin the next chapter in her life adding that she’s ready to move on. She put the property at 505 S. Main St. up for sale before the pandemic. She has had numerous interested parties that have looked over the property who had various ideas of future uses both restaurant and non-restaurant.
“I’m not giving it away,” Sukola said. “I’m waiting for someone to take it to the next level.”
